Legarza is turning heads

Vince Legarza from St. Ignatius High in San Francisco (Calif.), turned heads over the spring and summer with his play on the court. The 6-foot-9 big-bodied post, rebounded the ball well, scored in the block and was very effective in various games for the Bay Area Warriors club team.

"Vince had a very good spring and summer for us," said Randy Bessolo, the founder and coach of the Bay Area Warriors. "His skills are improving and he was very productive on the court for the Warriors."

The son of former Canada College coach Mike Legarza, Vince is a skilled big man with range out to 22 feet. He can knock down the jumper consistently but he is a post player, who likes to play on the block. A big bodied player, Legarza has grown six inches in high school over the last two years, and there is a strong possiblity he may not be done growing.

Over the last year, Legarza has also become a workaholic, when it comes to improving his game. Every week for the past year and a half, he can usually be seen putting in extra gym time at City College of San Francisco and works out with former CCSF coach Brad Duggan and competes against current CCSF players in open gym settings.

His extra work is starting to pay off, as the big man had a very effective summer, and now schools are starting to show recruiting interest. Northwestern, Denver, UOP, St. Mary's, Loyola of Chicago, Montana State, Miami of Ohio, Richmond, San Diego and Fordham are showing the most interest while Montana State, Denver and Loyola of Chicago are attending open gym settings to watch Legarza up close.

Legarza is intrigued by the all the attention and there are certain elements in each school that he likes. But he adheres to a certain criteria when choosing a school.

"I want to enjoy the campus and enjoy going to the school," said Legarza. "Basketball-wise, I want to be able to get along with the coaches and the teammates. I am also interested in a school that utilizes my style of play. A school that uses the big man and a school that has a winning attitude or one that is on the rise. I want to be part of something great."

After playing freshman and JV basketball during his frosh and sophomore years, last year was a breakout season for Legarza. He did not play the previous summer because of a broken foot so it took him a while to get going as he started the season as the 6th man behind 6-foot-6 post Victor Bull. But as the season wore on, Legarza worked his way into the starting line-up with several memorable games.

"At the Jesuit tournament in Sacramento last year is when I started to get my confidence," said Legarza. "I had two 20 point games in the tournament and in those games, I was able to play, and I scored in the post on put backs and post moves, some screen and rolls and some other things."

During the year, the Wildcats used a lot of players in various line-ups and games, so Legarza received significant minutes. But in several key games matched up against Riordan High forward Rob Jones, who is now at University of San Diego, Legarza played well, resulting in St. Ignatius' CCS Championship victory over the Crusaders.

In that game, Legarza had 13 points including a 65 foot shot at the buzzer. He also hit two other 3-point shots in that game, showing off his range. While SI won the CCS championship and the first round of the Division 3 NorCal playoffs, they lost in the second round to the eventual champion Bishop O'Dowd in a close game down the stretch.

This year, SI returns the core of their team with Legarza in the post and all-WCAL guard Paul Toboni in the backcourt. Legarza thinks the team will be very solid and he will be counted on to carry the load.

Making the correct college choice is something that could put added pressure on Legarza at the start of the season, but he says it won't, as he is enjoying the recruiting process.

"I may want to sign late," said Legarza. "If I find a school that I really enjoy early, I will go with them, but if not, I will wait. More options usually happen late and I will be able to find the best school that fits me and the way I play."